BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair says that it will hire 50-60 people through the end of the year, largely to help upgrade and repair the guided-missile destroyer John Paul Jones. The warship -- one of 58 stationed at Naval Base San Diego -- is scheduled to dock at BAE's shipyard just south of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge next week.

BAE has 1,300 local shipyard workers, making it San Diego's second largest yard, after General-Dynamics-NASSCO, which has 3,200. The company announced earlier this week that it will invest $15 million to remove two aging piers and build a new one to better position itself to service naval vessels. The yard is currently crowded; BAE is working on the amphibious warships New Orleans and Comstock, the destroyer Howard and the cruiser Chancellorsville. BAE also has 150-200 people on North Island, helping with upgrades to the carrier Carl Vinson.